All in the Mind
by Dark Akito
Summary: [Yay! I added a poem for Lt. Castle!] The Roughnecks are faced with a person from Carl's past. Of course S.I.C.O.N. has a suprise for him in store.
1. All in the Mind

CARL: All in the Mind

A blackness drifts through my head;  
nothing but silence, a cold dark night;  
a single whisper could wake the dead.  
I can feel them crawling, menacingly  
a crash of thunder in my mind  
Please help me, my team, my family...  
I can no longer stand the pain  
My sanity is but a flickering flame  
My mind has become a blackened stain...

That is what I feel.  
That is what I see.  
That is what I hear.

My fellow troopers have no clue  
of the hate I feel every day.  
My mind has become split in two...  
All because of the mind games we play.

Can it just be  
all in my mind?


	2. Mind Games

A/N: This is a sort of alternate storyline that occurs right before the Earth Campaign in the cartoon. I'm a Carl lover and a Dizzy/Rico relationship lover, so if you're against any of this then don't read it! And since this is a fanfic, don't flame me for messing with the character's personalities or the storyline or the fact that I'm inserting a created character or two. If I DO receive any flames, I will send you a nice looooong reply, consisting mainly of laughter. Thank you and have a nice day ^_^ 

A/N #2: Please read and review! ^_^ 

General Disclaimer: I don't own the Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles nor do I lay any claim to their characters or ideas. If I owned them, don't you think I'd be making more cartoons with my stories... or better yet, more MONEY?! I am simply writing this for fun. The created characters are, of course, mine and are not to be used without my permission. 

Mind Games 

Day 30 of the Mars Campaign; Robert Higgins reporting for Razak's Roughnecks. 

The Roughnecks have had a tough time during the course of the war. It was only recently that signs of hopelessness were beginning to set in. Carl Jenkins was gone; we all knew it and we had all tried to accept it. Most of us could. But not Johnny. He just couldn't accept the fact that his best friend had gotten fried by that Brain Bug on Hydora or that the final blow to his psyche was delivered by the Control Bug on Tophet. He had an even more difficult time dealing with the loss once the Skinnies' Colonel, T'phai, had been recruited to take Carl's place. I guess, in Rico's place, I'd feel the same way. Not only that, but after Johnny and T'phai had made their peace we lost T'phai to a bunch of Kamikaze Ripplers on another sweep of Hydora. Before that, we had almost lost Johnny and we thought we would lose Dizzy, too. Not too long after that, on Klendathu, Zander was killed saving us from the Impostor Bugs. Carl had come back to us by then, only to go into remission after the Queen escaped.

Now, we are orbiting the Red Planet, Mars. S.I.C.O.N. and Intel reported that the Queen Bug may be hiding somewhere on Mars and that it was our job to find her and destroy her. Easy task, right? Wrong. 

Marlowe made a special request to S.I.C.O.N. for the Roughnecks to have an extra week to heal and prepare for battle while the other squads take turns searching the planet. Joy. We get razzed later for having extra R&R while they bust their butts on the Desert Planet. Great. What's even better-- and I mean this sarcastically in every sense of the term-- we have a shipload of injured troopers from the other squads in the cryo-chambers of the medlab as well as a comatose Carl lying in his own private room hooked up to all sorts of creepy machines staring up at the ceiling with the eyes of a dead man. Joy upon joys. Everyone here visits Carl at least once every day or so; we all miss him. All of us report on how creepy it feels in his room, as if he's inside their heads. I haven't seen him. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm very scared. 

Carl's replacement is coming in today. A Pvt. Natasha Davis, I believe. Another psychic from Intel to replace the one we "broke". S.I.C.O.N. has a sick sense of humor. 

****** 

"Hey, Paperboy," said Gossard as he met Higgins in the hallway outside of their "barracks". He had a huge grin plastered on his face. "Did you hear the good news?" 

"Good news?" Higgins replied; "That's a change." 

"Yeah, it is, but I swear this is something that'll perk up even the gloomiest of the squad." Higgins listened intently. "Carl's showing signs of life! He's responding to his environment." 

"Really?!" The expression on Higgins' face was hilarious. Gossard bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Since when?" 

"Since this morning! I went in to pay my visit and the nurse practically told me to take a hike, that 'Mr. Jenkins said he was too tired to see anyone today'. That's when I pushed past her and went to look for myself. Carl was sitting up in bed, complaining about the nurse being incompetent and that he wanted to leave." Gossard laughed finally. "That's a side of Carl I haven't seen in a long time." 

Higgins smiled briefly, his face suddenly growing darker with thought. At length, he spoke, "Does Rico know yet? and Dizzy?" 

"Not yet, kiddo. Last time I saw them, they were busy giving T'phai's replacement a hard time in the Mess." 

In the Mess Hall of the Valley Forge, Johnny Rico and Isabelle "Dizzy" Flores were in a heated argument with a young woman. She was dressed completely in black from neck to foot, save her uncovered right hand and the pale grey armband bearing the letters C.J.-- the mourning armband for the half-dead Carl Jenkins. The girl's pale face was a great contrast to her clothes and her eyes were circled by dark rings-- she looked like a walking corpse. Her eyes were dark brown and bloodshot from tears and sleep-deprivation. Her hair was cut short, similar to Dizzy's, and looked as if she had been pulling on it. She was a dreadful sight. She glared at Rico and Dizzy, tears streaming down her face. She had a mad look about her, an insanity that was consuming her and yet did not exist. She screamed at her future team mates with fury in her voice. 

"You have no right to tell me I'm not good enough for this squad! You know nothing about me so don't pretend like you do! " Her body was quaking with anger. Her voice lowered to a tense whisper. "And you have no right to tell me Carl is dead. Not right at all." She paused briefly. "He isn't dead. I saw him last night. His heart is still beating." Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "Still beating..." 

Rico struggled to keep his emotions in check; he hated this girl for taking Carl's place. Just as he had hated T'phai. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. 

"Shut up. It's bad enough Carl is laying in a bed in the medlab, staring up at the ceiling like he's some damn vegetable, hooked up to more life-support machines than we can count just so he can BREATHE! We've suffered enough! Just leave us be and get the hell out of the Roughnecks. Preferably out of the M.I. completely!" 

The girl narrowed her eyes and growled. She stared hard at Rico, her eyes burning into his. He could hear her screaming inside of his mind. She was inside his head. Rico's eyes shot open; she was a telepath. One of Intel's Special Ops. psychics. 

"Woah woah! It is against the rules to get into people's heads!" He lunged forward to grab her arm; Dizzy held him back. She shook her head. 

"Johnny, stop and think about it," she said. "You'd only end up getting canned. Besides, SHE isn't worth your trouble." The girl could tell Dizzy was obviously pissed. 

The door to the Mess Hall slid open. Lt. Razak entered and the room grew instantly silent. He looked around him slowly, his gaze falling upon the trio in the center of the room. He let out a heaving sigh. 

"I see that you've met your new team mate," he said slowly, a hint of irritation lacing his voice. "Get the rest of the squad together in the Rec Room for a proper introduction." He turned to leave and paused. "And Rico?" 

"Yes, sir," he replied, standing at attention. 

"Don't jump to unnecessary conclusions like you did with the last one." Rico knew he meant his hatred toward T'phai. "And make sure she gets to the Rec in one piece." 

"Sir! Yes, sir!" 

Razak glanced at the girl in black and nodded slowly; she nodded in response. A private agreement had been made. She turned to Rico, her cold expression softening to a smile. Rico took a step back. 

******

Higgins and Gossard, having finished their training session, exchanged their bulky power suits for their more comfortable and casual gear and headed for the Mess Hall for some much desired nourishment. Halfway there, they ran into Rico and Dizzy, leading around a girl in black. Higgins stared at the newcomer for what seemed like hours (but in reality, it was more like five seconds). Rico and Dizzy were talking with Gossard about the meeting they would have in the Rec. Higgins didn't seem to hear them; he was studying the girl's face. She was staring past him, her dark eyes glued to the wall behind him. He made a note of every detail of her face from her pale complexion to the dark rings under her tired eyes. She seemed to be lost in her own world, running on autopilot like an automaton. Higgins shook his head when he felt the weight of Gossard's hand on his shoulder. Goss smiled. 

"Don't stare too hard kiddo," he said jokingly. "I don't relish the thought of having to pop your eyeballs back into your empty skull." 

The two of them watched as Rico and Dizzy left to find Doc and Brutto. Gossard was about to go with them when Higgins grabbed his arm. The younger trooper's eyes were wide and he was shaking slightly. Gossard looked at him with concern. 

"Goss, look at her," he said quietly. "I mean, really look at her." 

Gossard stared at the girl for a few seconds, making odd faces and squinting. "Aaaaannnd...what am I looking for?" 

The girl turned to leave with Rico and Dizzy. "Look at her face," Higgins whispered urgently. "She has the same look in her eyes as Carl..." 

The girl glanced at them as she passed. Gossard gasped; their eyes had met. She held him in a stare for a moment. Gossard let out a heavy breath when she turned away. 

"My god..." 

An hour later in the Rec Room, Razak watched patiently as his squad slowly made their way through the doors and lined up. None of them seemed particularly happy to be there, except maybe Higgins and Gossard. Razak looked to his left where the new girl was standing, her head bowed and her eyes to the floor; a sign of submission. He shook his head and sighed. This would not be easy. He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. 

"Well, apes," he barked, "it seems as if we have yet another addition to our squad..." He paused and looked at Rico with narrowed eyes. "To our family," he amended. "Allow me to introduce Pvt. Natasha Davis. I hope you will all welcome her into our family." He paused and gave them all a hard stare. "Treat her with the same courtesy and friendship you give toward one another. She is one of us now." 

Everyone watched as Natasha walked down the line, shaking hands as she went. Higgins paused before he released her hand; it was cold, almost a dead sort of cold. He shivered as he let go. Gossard smiled cheerfully at her as he took her hand. She felt as if he would be one of the nicest in the squad; she smiled back at him. Doc gave her a strong, sure handshake and she grinned at him. Brutto's handshake was quick and his thoughts indicated he was eager to get back to bed; Natasha made a mental note that she shared his sentiments. Dizzy was reluctant to take her hand but, with notice of Razak still staring at them, she shook it anyway. Natasha smiled. She could win Dizzy over easily. Rico, however, refused point-blank to even look at her. She frowned at him and joined the ranks next to Higgins and Gossard. 

Razak shook his head; overall, he was pleased with the turnout. Rico's cold reaction, however, left much to be desired. There would be trouble later on. 

"Before you go back to your remaining two days of R&R, have some good news for you all." The Roughnecks shifted uneasily in ill anticipation. Razak's use of the term "good news" was normally reserved for more training, which meant less sleep before the next mission. "I was informed by two members of this squad that your former teammate, Pvt. Carl Jenkins, is showing signs of recovering." The Roughnecks exchanged shocked glances; everyone, particularly Rico, let out a loud cheer. Razak continued, "That was as of this morning." Silence fell. "As we all know, Carl has done a great deal for this squad. It was unfortunate to lose him after the incident with the Brain Bug on Tophet. Although he came back to us for a short time, his condition was less than stable. Carl has been in the custody of S.I.C.O.N. and Intel for the duration of the Mars Campaign." They looked at one another, apprehensive. Razak's voice lowered, "Who knows what those bastards at Intel did to him before they shipped him and his medical equipment to the Valley Forge. But that is behind us. I am pleased to inform you that, in spite of a minute loss of memory, Carl is back to his old self. In fact, he should be ready to return to the squad by the end of this week." A happy muttering of voices washed across them. "I say 'should be' because of the circumstances: he will be physically able to return to duty, however, mentally is unsure. The doctors say he is well enough to talk with visitors, but don't push him. He's been through enough already." They tensed. "Dismissed! Go pay your friend a visit." 

Rico approached Razak as the others began to leave; they stopped once they heard him speak. "Lieutenant... How 'minute' is 'minute'?" 

Razak sighed, "I don't know, Rico." 

Rico nodded and headed for the doors; he pushed Natasha aside when she tried to pass him. She stared angrily at him as he disappeared down the hall. A nearby mirror cracked. She breathed in, air hissing past her clenched teeth, and ran out of the Rec Room after Rico. The mirror shattered. The others left soon after, taking no notice of the shards of glass on the floor. Razak looked at the empty spot where the mirror had been and shook his head solemnly. There would be trouble indeed.

******

A/N: Well, that's the first part to the story. Expect more. I hope it isn't too um... wordy, I guess? Is that the word I'm looking for? Oh well, be gentle, I'm new at this. This the first Roughnecks fic I've ever written and I've taken some liberties with the storyline. *shrugs* It's a fanfic, what did you expect? Some of the griping between Rico and Natasha may seem a bit pointless, but it is a neccessary evil, trust me. It's sort of like a foreshadowing event for her character. My boyfriend has read the rough-draft of this story and he said he doesn't really like Natasha; seven other friends of mine, however, DO like her. *shrugs* Of course, they have read more about her... Decide for yourselves in future chapters and tell me! See you next chapter! 


	3. Memories

General Disclaimer: I do not own the Roughnecks blah blah...Natasha Davis, however, belongs to me. *pouts* And I wish Carl did too... 

Memories 

It was late evening before they were allowed into the medlab. By that time, the tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Rico, however, was the only one pacing enough to put a hole in the floor in front of Carl's "special room". Natasha had situated herself next to the door, her head bowed in thought. Higgins found himself wondering what could have been going on in that head of hers. He could tell she was nervous about something, but what? The fact that everyone else in the room was nervous too didn't seem to help matters much. What he couldn't understand was why she seemed to be almost as antsy as Rico was. Had she known Carl before? 

The voice of the nurse broke the silence, "You can go in now." Her tone was condescending and cold. "Only one at a time. I don't think he could handle much more than that." Rico hurried for the door, but the nurse grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Go in slowly," she sneered. " Do not ask too many questions; don't be shocked if he doesn't remember you. And above all, do not push him." Rico eyed her strangely. "He's dangerous," she added softly. "Now quietly..."  


She slowly opened the door and led Rico inside. Carl had his eyes closed when Rico entered. He was sitting up in his bed, breathing strangely; it seemed to be difficult for him. He looked half-dead and starved; his already pale face was made even moreso by the dark circles under his eyes. The only sign he was even alive was the clenching and unclenching of his boney fists as they grasped the sheets. His platinum-blonde hair was lifeless and lackluster from ill-nourishment and lack of showering, Rico guessed. He looked like a dying man. Rico took a sharp breath; he hadn't wanted to see Carl like that. Carl's pale blue eyes fluttered open and he looked right at Rico. 

"Hey, Carl," Rico stammered, waving his left hand at his friend nervously," old buddy." 

Carl stared at him a moment before speaking. He seemed to be searching his mind, as well as Rico's, for something. He made an odd face and Rico blinked. "You look... familiar. I knew you before, didn't I?" 

Rico smiled and quickened his speech, "Yeah! You and I went to high school together in Buenos Aires and then to the Academy before you got shipped off to Intel. You've been my best friend ever since." 

Carl stared at him blankly. His expression shifted to that of puzzlement. "Rico? Johnny Rico?" 

"That's right, Carl," he said as he smiled. Carl responded with a crooked version of the same. Rico raised an eyebrow; it looked as if half of Carl's face had forgotten how to function properly. "You okay, buddy? You look like hell." 

Carl suddenly shook his head, rubbing his temples gently. "Yeah," he said. "I'm fine, Johnny. I'm just really, really tired. The nurse stuffed me full of trancs before she let anyone come in..." 

Rico stood silently for a moment, thinking; Carl closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. He opened his eyes slowly and rolled his head, his neck cracking at least three times. Rico winced. Carl was acting really strange; even stranger than usual. 

"Carl," he whispered, "do you remember what happened to you? Do you remember why Intel took you away? Why you went into a coma again?" 

Carl lowered his head and closed his eyes again in deep thought. His breathing was ragged and he looked as if he were in pain. At length, he said, "Not a damn thing... Everything is a blank..." 

Rico nodded solemnly and sighed. He tried to smile for his friend. "Hey, the others are waiting to see you, okay? I'll talk to you later, Carl." His smile became more sincere. "It's good to have you back." 

"Thanks, Johnny," he said with a crooked smile. "I'll see you later." 

The next in were Dizzy (whom Carl only remembered as Isabelle, much to her dismay), then Gossard (whom he had almost forgotten completely), then Doc (whom Carl insisted on calling Mr. LaCroix, instead of using his nickname), Brutto (Carl seemed to expect a beating from him), and finally Higgins (whom Carl remembered affectionately as "Paperboy"). The Lieutenant would visit him later. The nurse was about to announce that visiting hours were over when she noticed Natasha patiently awaiting her turn; the girl's mere presence sent chills down the nurse's spine. The nurse gave her an odd look. 

"You can go in," she said with uncertainty, "but make it quick. Mr. Jenkins needs his sleep." 

Natasha gave her a piercing glance and went inside. Carl had kept his eyes closed every time someone came into the room. This time, however, he had felt something different. Something frighteningly familiar, yet it was a feeling he had missed. He watched intently as the door slowly opened. 

"Tasha!" he shouted; if he had had more strength, he would have jumped from his bed and ran into her arms. He stared at the girl standing in the doorway. She smiled at him. 

"You remembered pretty quick," she said, chuckling. "According to the others, you had a pretty tough time remembering them. Steam coming out of your ears and all that. I must say I'm flattered." 

Carl smiled awkwardly as she walked closer and sat next to him on the bed; his smile faded slightly. There was something different about her. His thin hands trembled as he placed them on hers. She snatched her left hand away; Carl looked at her with growing sadness in his eyes. Tasha smiled and kissed his cheek. A light blush crept up the naturally shy blonde's face as he smiled. 

"I missed you, Carl," she said. "Ever since I heard about what had happened, I've been so worried. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about you." 

Carl wrapped his arms around her. It was then, and only then, that he began to cry. Tasha tensed slightly, so slightly that Carl didn't even notice. She closed her eyes and her mind from Carl, going into darkness. 

"Tasha," he whispered, shuddering, "tell me exactly what happened to me. What happened?" 

Tasha tightened her embrace and grit her teeth. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? She didn't really know what had happened to Carl, except on Tophet and Hydora. She decided to lie. 'I don't know the whole story yet," she said. "You were taken by the Bug army to one of their Brain Bugs. It was such a strain on you that you set off a "psychic bomb" and went comatose. You've been in a coma since the Pluto Campaign. Intel has taken _very_ good care of you. You should thank them." 

Carl nodded slowly; she was lying. He could tell. The two sat in silence for a moment. Carl attempted to absorb what she had said; why had she lied? He searched his mind for any trace of a memory that would unlock his true memories; he found nothing. He placed a hand on the back of Tasha's head. He would probe her mind for information; again, he found nothing. She was blocking him. He sighed in despair. 

_**Maybe it's better this way._** 

Carl's eyes opened widely; Tasha's "telepathic call" had caught him off-guard. He sat back and looked at her. 

"I feel like such an idiot, Tasha," he said softly. "I haven't even asked you how you've been. What squad are you with now?" 

Tasha shook her head. "Don't you go worrying your pretty blonde head about me, Carl. you just worry about getting yourself better and back in the game. I can't do much good out there without someone to fight for." 

Carl raised an eyebrow. "Someone to fight for?" 

"Yeah," she said. "I'm part of Razak's Roughnecks now. They were a trooper short. Your former replacement, T'phai, was killed on a clean-sweep of Hydora." 

"T'phai? The Skinnies' Colonel?" Suddenly, Carl's eyes went dark. He remembered the name. T'phai-- Colonel T'phai of the desert planet Tophet. He sat for a moment with his eyes closed. A memory was forming. 

"Carl?" 

No response. 

_**Carl...**_

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was smiling at him, her fingertips gently touching his face. 

_**Carl, don't push yourself like this. You'll hurt yourself.**_

_*But...Tasha...*_

_**No "buts", Carl...**_ She kissed him softly and hugged him. _**Now get some sleep and get better.**_

"I'll be out in the field in two days... fighting for you." She sat there for a moment, staring at him with sad eyes. Carl, desperate to overcome his shyness with her, inched closer to her. 

_*Tasha... of everything I've experienced in my life, there is one thing I have not forgotten; and I swear to you that I never will.*_ His hands were cold; his entire body was shaking. Tasha smiled and he calmed a bit. It had been so long-- years it seemed-- since they had seen one another that he didn't know how to behave. It was killing him. _*Tasha, I still lo...*_

She stopped him with a mental block and a finger on his lips for good measure. She shook her head slowly, smiling. 

"Don't say it yet," she said. "I know. Just wait until I come back from Mars, okay?" 

Carl didn't understand. Why should he wait? It had taken him most of his high school life and all of his time at the Academy to admit it to her and to himself. Hadn't it? He really did love her, didn't he? He closed his eyes and lowered his head; there was a sharp pain in the back of his mind. It was the pain of lies. He shook his head and ignored it. He wanted to tell Tasha how he felt. Why did she want him to wait? 

_**On the battlefield, love can be a deadly distraction, Carl. Wait until I get back. That way, I can assure you that I WILL come back, if only to hear those words...**_

Carl watched as she stood up and walked to the door. His heart sank. She was leaving him again. 

"Goodnight, Carl," she said, smiling. 

"Goodnight, Natasha," he said. "Live forever." 

She nodded and saluted. The door closed. Carl was alone again. And alone, he cried. 

****** 

A/N: Hope you like mushy stuff. A guy friend of mine read this and thought he was gonna barf. Oh well. It gets more exciting, TRUST me! 


	4. Ambush

General Disclaimer: I do not own the Roughnecks. If I did, the show would've gotten FINISHED! *sits in a corner and fumes* 

Ambush 

The drop. It was Razak's Roughnecks turn to drop onto Mars. Tasha had been on hundreds of drops, from Pluto to Hydora to Tophet. And now, to the Red Planet itself, the home of the Roman god of War: Mars. She looked around at her team mates as they prepared to drop. They were anxious, their adrenaline already speeding through their bodies. They each had their respective drop pods and were suiting up. She stared at Lt. Razak. He was so serious and so collected. She admired him. 

"Live forever, apes." 

All the Roughnecks, in their collective voice, shouted their reply, "HO!" 

Then, they dropped. The blood of ever trooper in the squad burned with the thrill of the atmospheric entry and the anticipation of the upcoming battle. In the midst of the drop, Tasha could hear Dizzy, Rico, and Gossard shouting out improvised battle-cries: 

"Yaaa-hooo! Let's go kick some Bug butt!" 

"Oh yeah! Splatterfest in Bug Country!" 

"Let's blast 'em ta Hell, guys!" 

These were the battle-cries of Razak's Roughnecks. Loud, senseless, and obnoxious to some, but to the troopers these cries indicated that they meant serious business. It was a certain thing: Bugs would be squashed.  
They ejected their drop pods. The winds rushed up around them, knocking the breath from them in spite of their power suits. They hit the ground hard, even when using their jet-packs. Razak and Brutto guided the Marauders in for their landing. Tasha fingered her gun nervously; they had landed right in the middle of a reported swarm of Warriors, Workers, Plasmas, and Kamikaze Ripplers who were supposedly guarding a Brain Bug in a nearby cave. The entire field was silent. There was nothing. 

"Davis, any Bugs in the area?" whispered Razak. He watched as Tasha closed her eyes and put her hand to her head, like Carl used to do to scan the area. While Carl always showed signs of pain or a minor headache when he used his abilities, Tasha didn't. Razak frowned; she wasn't scanning anything. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. 

"Nothing, sir," she said, suprisingly calm now, "I don't sense anything aside from us. Not a damn thing." 

"I don't like it," said Rico, pacing from Dizzy to Razak. He turned to glare at Tasha. "Are you sure you don't sense anything? Nothing at all?" 

She shrugged. "It could be magnetic interference. Or even the Brain Bug." 

"If it's even here," said Gossard. "Intel's been wrong before." 

"But they've never been wrong about a Brain before," said Higgins uncertainly. They all stared at one another, not exactly sure how to respond. Higgins' face paled. "Have they?" 

"Teams of two," Razak ordered, "then spread out. We can't leave until we have information on whether the Bugs are indeed on Mars. Roughnecks, MOVE OUT!" 

The teams consisted of Rico and Dizzy, Doc and Brutto, Razak and Higgins, and Gossard and Davis. No one complained. The groups split up in four directions, and then the two troopers would split themselves up; they would be able to cover more ground that way. They made double sure to stay in line of sight of their team mates.  
Tasha stopped dead in her tracks. It had been an hour of searching an not a single Bug had shown even so much as a feeler. now, an hour after the search began, Tasha had just... stopped. Gossard stopped and stared at his still team mate. 

"Hey, Davis," he called, via radio, "what's wrong?" 

"Goss," she said, her voice raspy, "do not move." 

"What's going on?" 

"Bugs..." she whispered. 

Gossard inhaled deeply, "Where?" 

"Everywhere..." 

Rico was becoming impatient; his trigger-finger was ready and waiting, but it would not wait much longer. He looked for Dizzy. 

"Dizzy." 

"What now?" she asked, irritated. 

"Did you feel that?" 

She rolled her eyes, "Feel what?" 

"The ground is shaking." 

Dizzy shook her head and groaned, "Rico stop imagining things. You heard Brain-girl; there's nothing out here!" 

"I think she was wrong." 

"Geez, Rico, why do you always give the new guys a hard time?" Dizzy came to a small ledge and climbed up. She squinted her eyes and scanned the area. "It's not as if she'll be replacing Carl for good. He's getting better and he'll be back with us before you know it! So what's the big deal?" 

"Hmph..." 

"Fine then. Don't answer me." She jumped down from her perch on the ledge. "Truly though, I can't say I blame you for feeling the way you do. I heard her talking to Carl that night in the Med." 

Rico smirked, "So you were eavesdropping." 

"You betcha," she said proudly. She kicked a rock and watched it float in front of her; it hit the ground some distance away with a soft thud. "I wanted to know what she had to do with Carl. I care about him, too, y'know!" 

"And?" asked Rico, interested. 

"And, it turns out that our little psychic chic isn't all that she claims to be to Carl. She said that....*" Dizzy was cut off by the sound of static and gunshots. 

"Dizzy!" 

****** 

A/N: *grins* I love cliff-hangers. 


	5. Trouble in my Backyard

Disclaimer: Like I said before, I do not own the Roughnecks, laa dee daa...

Trouble in my Backyard

Razak moved slowly along the open desert; something just wasn't right. Everything was far too quiet. He hated the quiet. He looked for Higgins, disturbed to find the young reporter was out of his line of sight. He was about to plan the young man's punishment once they got back to the Valley Forge when gunshots erupted over the horizon, in Rico and Dizzy's direction.

"Lt. Razak!!" shouted Higgins over the Comm. If he had shouted any louder, he would have blown out the speakers in Razak's helmet. "Lt. Razak, please respond!!"

"Higgins, report!" barked Razak, more than slightly annoyed.

"Rico just reported that he has completely lost contact with Dizzy, visual and radio! There's gunfire coming from her last position, but he can't find her!"

"Damn," said Razak. "I just knew something was wro--"

"Lt. Razak, Doc's missing!" shouted Brutto over the Comm. "Repeat: I have lost visual and radio contact! Request assistance!"

Razak cursed. "Brutto, state your posit--"

"Lt. Razak," whispered Gossard. "Davis is sensing something. Bugs..."

"I thought she said the area was clear..." Razak narrowed his eyes; his suspicions had been confirmed. Tasha had lied to them, had endangered them. But to what purpose? "Where are they?"

"Everywhere," said Gossard.

"Everywhere? Can you be more specific, Goss?"

Tasha's voice came through, a harsh command in a rasping whisper amidst the shouts of the other troopers, "Beneath us."

Razak raised an eyebrow. "Come again, Davis?"

"They are under the ground." Her voice was unusually calm. "I suggest you do not move any farther on your present course. Get back to the dropping point and radio for a dust-off. We'll wait here."

Brutto's enraged shouts came over the Comm. "Like hell we will! LT, we came here to kill some Bugs, so lets kill some damn Bugs!"

"Lt. Razak, help me!"

Razak's eye opened wide and he said quietly, "Higgins!"

Radio static. Gunshots. Silence.

"Lt. Razak," said Gossard slowly, "I just lost Rico's signal. And Higgins'. LT, we can't just leave them here."

Lt. Razak stood still and alone on the silent red plains of Mars. He tightened his grip on his gun and grit his teeth.

"Lt. Razak?" Brutto's voice was tense over the Comm.

"We stay," said Razak, "and we fight."

****

Gossard, Tasha, and Brutto slowly made their way back to Razak and the Marauders. Goss enthusiastically jumped into his suped-up Marauder and Brutto took Doc's. Razak and Tasha were on foot. The group carefully made their way back to Dizzy's last known position; there was a hole in the ground and signs of a struggle. Dizzy's gun was lying about three feet away from the hole. Razak peeked inside the large opening and looked around. The entire area was one huge tunnel, perfectly rounded, that had been dug through the planet's surface. He stood back up and dusted himself off.

"Gossard, how many of these tunnels are in this area?" he asked.

"Unsure, sir," said Goss. "Something's jamming the sensors."

Tasha groaned in pain and fell to her knees. She shuddered. "They're coming!"

"Roughnecks, fall back!"

Razak and Tasha made a short retreat while the Marauders covered them. At least thirty Warriors flooded out of the opening like antswhose colony had bee disturbed. Following close behind them was a group of Workers.

"Aw crap," muttered Gossard. He fired at the first wave of Bugs, dropping five. They were faster than he remembered. Three more charged him with more ferocity than he had seen since their first encounter with the Kamikaze Ripplers. He grabbed one by the jaws and ripped it in two. As he was about to attack the other two, a blue light caught his eye. "Plasma! On the ridge!"

Razak looked toward the high ridge to the north. Five Plasma Bugs were lumbering toward them. He frowned and prepared to enter the nest; a Warrior and two Workers blocked his path. He fired his Morita and nailed one of the Workers. He took aim at the Warrior and another hit him from behind, pushing him to the ground and knocking his gun from his hand. He pulled himself up from the ground; the Warriors charged at him. A volley of gunfire from his right quickly brought them down. Razak, slightly startled, soon found himself being presented his Morita by Tasha.

"I've got your back, LT."

Razak stared as the young soldier ran at the Warriors, firing for all she was worth. Every now and again, Razak could have sworn that he saw her rip a Bug's leg off with her bare hands. She shouted at him to get to the hole, that she would cover them and catch up. Razak watched as she rolled and grabbed Dizzy's gun. She used both guns, firing in a criss-cross pattern, to scatter the Warriors.

"Davis, I can't leave you out here!"

"You can't leave Rico and the others in there either!" Tasha kicked the lower jaw od a dead Warrior away and shot at another. "Go now!"

Razak nodded. He and the Marauders disappeared down into the nest. A sick feeling arose in Tasha's stomach as she watched them vanish. Once she was sure they were gone, she screamed and ran into the fray.

****

Back on the Valley Forge, Carl was wandering around the medlab. He looked at all the wounded troopers in the cryo-chambers, waiting to be taken back to Earth or a medical facility, and suddenly felt relieved that he wasn't one of them. He walked past them and toward the large window at the end of the exit corridor; he looked at Mars mournfully.

"There are so many things I don't quite remember," he whispered into the darkness of space. "My memories of Tasha are so vague. I don't remember her ever being so headstrong and stubborn, but part of me says that she's always been that way. I don't understand it. And why did she lie to me? What reason is there to lie to an old friend?"

The nurse walked into the corridor. She took one look at Carl and shouted across the room, "Mr. Jenkins! I have told you a million times tonight not to get out of bed! You haven't fully recovered yet!"

Carl's eyes narrowed, but he didn't turn to face her. *Leave me alone.*

The nurse thought she was just hearing things. She persisted, "Mr. Jenkins, I must insist that you return to your room at once! You are a special case and have been placed under quarintine!"

*I said leave. I can do as I wish.*

The nurse became cross. She marched over to Carl, continuing to shout at him, screaming that she wished S.I.C.O.N. would just mind-wipe him and feed him to the Bugs.

"I don't know why they even bother trying to help you "Psychs"," she said as she approached him. "If it were up to me, I'd throw you out into space and be done with you!"

*You can't do that. You have no control over me. You never will; no one will.*

The woman frowned. She grabbed the young psychic by the shoulder roughly and turned him around. She hissed, "Stay out of my head, you freak!"

That was her mistake. Their eyes met. Carl's gaze was cold and piercing and his rage ripped away his control. He went into her mind. There, he tore apart her memories, her thoughts, her psyche; her life, her mind, was no more. She screamed one final time before her lifeless body hit the metal floor of the ship's corridor and her skull cracked. Carl immediately snapped back to his senses. He stared at the nurse's motionless, bleeding body in horror.

"What have I done?"

****

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. This story, and several others, have taken a backseat to my life for a time. I promise to get more chapters up as long as I know people are reading it!


	6. M.I.A.

General Disclaimer: Even though it is my life's wish to own the Roughnecks, I will never own them and do not own them now. However, Sony and Foundation can give me Carl for Christmas! ^____^

M.I.A.

"Augh....my head." Rico groaned and sat up. He looked around; it was dark, save for the small light on his helmet which he switched on. In an attempt to cure his splitting headache, he laid back down and slept (or at least, tried to). An hour or so later, he was awakened by screeching. He sat up quickly and came face to face with a Warrior. "Whoa, shit!!"

The Bug opened its jaws wide and screamed in Rico's face. He felt for his gun. Nothing. He looked around him on the ground for it. Still nothing. All his weapons were gone. no Morita, no Shock-Stick, no knife, no grenades. Absolutely nothing. He stood up and began to back away; his retreat was ceased abruptly as he tripped over an unconscious Dizzy. His attention was immediately diverted from the Warrior to Dizzy. He checked her over for injuries, but he couldn't make any definite conclusions without Doc's help. He could see a small trickle of blood on her forehead.

"Dizz," he whispered. "Dizzy, are you okay? Wake up, Dizz." Rico gently shook her shoulder; she groaned but did not wake. Rico cursed. Not far from him, Doc and Higgins were stirring. He could hear Higgins groaning. "Hey, Bobby, are you okay?"

Higgins shook his head. "I'm not sure. I think so..." It was then he noticed the circle of Warriors and Workers around them. "Rico," he whispered, "what are they doing? Why aren't we dead yet?"

"They're saving us," said Doc quietly. Deep lines of thought crossed the medic's face. "They're saving us for the Brain..."

Rico looked at Doc and Higgins. They looked at the ground. Rico sighed heavily and cradled Dizzy, glad she was asleep.

*******

"Lt. Razak," said Gossard, "we should go this way." The Marauder pointed down a large tunnel heading west. "Rico just turned on his homing beacon. We should get a move on."

Razak nodded but did not move. They were already a good distance away from their entrance and the Bugs had concentrated on sealing the hole rather than following them. In a sense, he was relieved; however, the thought of finding Tasha dead on their return was making a sickening lump in his stomach. He most assuredly did not feel right with leaving her behind. Then, he reminded himself that she lied to them and put the squad in jeopardy; there were more lives at stake because of her actions.

"We take the path to Rico," he said calmly. "Davis knew the risks. She's on her own, for better or worse."

Gossard's eyes widened, "But, L.T., we can't just leave..*"

"Stow it, Gossard," barked Brutto. "The Lieutenant just gave us an order!"

"Sir. Yes, Sir," said Gossard as he checked his screen for the shortest possible route to Rico with the least amount of resistance. He wasn't exactly happy about leaving the young trooper to fend for herself. he sighed. "We go west for a quater-mile, then due north until we come to a large cavern where Rico is being held. Hold on...Three more beacons. The others are with him. I can't tell if they're injured, but they are alive."

Razak nodded and waved them on with his Morita. "Move out, Roughnecks."

Brutto and Gossard split positions. Gossard took the rear and Brutto took point; Razak walked between them.Before they even counted twenty paces, a group of Warriors charged throught the tunnel in front of them. Brutto plowed through them, using hand to hand combat with the Marauder rather than wasting ammunition. Gossard used grenads to close off the adjacent tunnels just as more Warriors were flooding in. They were crushed by the falling rocks and debris. Razak blasted a charging Warrior, hitting its nerve cluster and dropping it a foot from him. He couldn't help but smirk.

"It feels good to be alive!" shouted Brutto as he ripped the legs off of a Warrior that had climbed onto his Marauder. A Warrior skittered past Razak and Gossard and rammed into Brutto from behind, tipping the Marauder over onto its side. Then, three more Warriors rammed him again, pushing him onto his back and rendering him helpless. Razak drew one of the Warriors away and Gossard used his onborad chain guns to get rid of the others. Once the tunnel was cleared, Gossard helped Brutto to his feet.

"You alright, Sarge?"

Brutto sneered at him. "I'm fine," he said, "so worry about your own ass!"

"*zrt* Lt. Razak!"

Razak's jaw dropped. "Davis, what's your status?"

"Kamikazes *scree* too many *frzz* help *crkle* no ammo *frzzle* rescue ship *screeeee....*"

Radio static, then silence. Razak shook his head. "Looks like her first mission with us was her last. Let's go, Apes."

"Pathway is clear, sir." Brutto walked up behind Gossard. "All present and accounted for."

"All clean back here, sir," said Brutto. "I suggest we hurry before the Bugs decide Roughnecks are good for their diet."

"Agreed," said Razak. They trudged on. Razak's mind was troubled; he had left a trooper behind. 

Now, she was dead.

*******

Tasha was breathing hard. A Warrior jumped out from the collection of Bug corpses and charged her; Tasha screeched loudly and grabbed its front legs. She ripped it legs out and jabbed them through the Bug's nerve cluster. Her entire body ached. She had no ammunition and no backup. No means of escape to a retrieval ship. She was on her own.

She checked again to see if any of the Roughnecks were nearby. The way was completely clear. A large sneering grin spread across her lips. She would take care of things her way.

Five Warriors were climbing over the hill of bodies toward her. She looked up at them, her dark brown eyes turning red. She hissed at the Bugs and they stopped dead in their tracks, staring at her. She screeched and they backed down. A satisfied chuckle came from deep within her throat.

"Good," she said. "You understand."

The five Warriors stared at her dumbly as she walked to the entrance to their tunnels. They made no move to staop her as she jumped down into the hole. It was as if they had been commanded to stay put.

Tasha began to walk down the tunnel, undisturbed by any Bugs that were patrolling the tunnels.

*******

Carl was trembling. He had killed insurmountable numbers of Bugs during the war, but he had never killed one of his own. He had never killed another human. The feeling of her death, the sight of her lifeless body on the floor at his feet, chilled him to the very marrow of his bones. He had never even wanted to hurt anyone like that before. Ever. His head ached. He was dizzy. 

'My God,' he thought, 'what have they done to me?'

Several doctors flooded into the room, pushing past Carl as if he weren't even there. They picked up the nurse's body and took it away, ignoring the young, pale psychic as he stood there staring at them, his mouth gaping. He sneered at them and walked away; if they didn't notice he was there, they wouldn't notice he was gone. He walked past his med room; he hated the machines they had in there to monitor his progress. They unnerved him. He headed past the Mess Hall, past the Rec Room, and made his way to the barracks. He found his old bunk; his things were still there, just as he had left them.

Wait. Did he just remember that? He shook his head and sat down on the bunk, his head in his hands. He had gotten headaches before, but never this bad. It hurt to think.

"It was her fault," he whispered, trying to justify his actions. "She made me do it. I didn't want to...Her fault..."

Tears streamed down his face. He had always gotten headaches after using his powers. Why was this one so different? So much worse than the previous times? He tried to stand, but his dizziness increased and he collapsed onto his side on the floor next to his bunk. He slowly pulled himself up and laid down, his head buried in the pillow as if it would stop the pain. His thoughts were swimming in confusion and hurt, waves of pain crashing against his skull.

Carl Jenkins curled up tightly on his bunk, crying himself to sleep, all alone.

****

A/N: Woah! What's up with Tasha? Why won't anyone help my poor Carl? Are his memories coming back? What does Tasha have to do with his past? More questions and hopefully some answers next time, folks! Same Bat time, same Carl obsessed fic writer!! ^_^


	7. Lament and Recall

TASHA: Lament and Recall

Hellfire burns in my head  
creating a thundering pain and  
searing my soul until I am dead.  
Blood drips from my hands;  
I have destroyed all I love  
and I have stained the lands.  
Screaming, screaming in my mind  
is the voice of the Warrior  
who took me from my kind.

Mother, Mother, talk to me.  
You left me there to die;  
you left me so you could flee.  
My life has been a lie.

Hellfire burns in my head  
creating a thundering pain and  
searing my soul until I am dead.  
Blood drips from my hands;  
I have destroyed all I love  
and I have stained the lands.  
Screaming, screaming in my mind  
is the voice of the child  
who was left for the enemy to find.

Mother, Mother, you will pay.  
Mother, Mother, you wil die.  
Mother, Mother, what can I say?  
I heed the Warrior's cry.


	8. Rescue me?

General Disclaimer: I still don't own the Roughnecks, and I probably never will own them. Sony and Foundation? I still want Carl for Christmas! ^____^ Natasha Davis, the pain in the ass that she is, belongs to me. Anyone want her? Didn't think so. (Tasha: HA! You're stuck with me!)

Rescue Me?

Tasha walked quietly down the tunnels. Her radio had been damaged in the fight, but it was still operational. Well, just barely.

"Lt. Razak," she whispered," this is Pvt. Davis. If you can hear me, state your position." She waited for what seemed like hours for a response. She growled. "Fine," she said," I'll find out my way. It pays to be a telepath."

She closed her eyes tightly. Seeing with her mind's eye, she searched for Gossard. Once she found him, she entered his mind and used his eyes to see the map on the Marauder's screen. Her head began to pound as she tried to make the images clear. Small beads of sweat dripped down her face. West...then north. She was about to use a psychic call to tell Gossard to stop when she was cut off. A bright flash of violet-blue light blinded her for a few minutes. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

'What the hell just happened?'

Tasha sat in the darkness for a moment to gather her thoughts. She had used psychic eye numerous times and had never experienced anything like that before. Something had stopped her from contacting Gossard. Or rather, someone had stopped her. She had never had trouble getting a clear image. Someone didn't want her to find the Roughnecks. She sneered and stood up once her vision had cleared.

**Who is out there?**

No response. She kept sending out her psychic call, hoping to draw out her pursuer. A Warrior charged down the tunnel at her when her back was turned. She grabbed its lower jaw with her left hand and snapped it off. It was the same method she had used on the surface to deal with the Kamikazes and Warriors on the surface. It had been an effective means of attack, but it did nothing to stop the Plasmas from destroying the only rescue ship in the area. She quietly recalled her mixed feelings about the deaths of the Fleet squad that had been piloting the ship when it exploded. She had almost lost her never and her head to the body of a diving Kamikaze. She looked down at the twitching body of the Warrior. Tasha then wiped some green slime from her power suit.

"Gross." She hated wearing Bug guts almost as much as she hated wearing the bulky power suits. She rolled her eyes and sighed as she walked on.

*******

Rico sighed. The Bugs were still and silent. their protective circle around their prisoners remained tight and unbroken. Hours had passed since Rico had opened his eyes to the sight of the Warriors that surrounded them. Things had been even more uncomfortable since then.

'Well, Carl,' thought Rico, 'if ever we needed you, now's the time. You could fry these bugs in a split second.' He looked around the cavern. "Why don they just bring out the Brain and get it over with? I hate just sitting here waiting to die!"

"Maybe they're just doing this so we'll crack," said Dizzy. She had woken up an hour before. And with a splitting headache, no less. She wasn't in a very good mood. Dizzy shot Rico a look that evidently meant to shut him up; he ignored it.

Doc offered up his theory. "Maybe we aren't what the Brain really wants? Maybe we're just the bait."

Rico cursed and stood up, shouting, "Come on out here, you swollen tick! Come on an get me!" He grabbed a rock and threw it at the circle of Warriors; they scattered and hissed but did not attack. Rico mumble obscenties under his breath and sat down angrily.

"Rico, please just calm down," cried Higgins. "It does no good for any of us for you to carry on like that!"

"Yeah," said Dizzy, "and besides, Razak wouldn't leave half his squad behind. I'll bet he's on his way to get us right now!"

"I hope so, Dizz," said Rico, bowing his head low. Although he felt the situation was hopeless, he knew that Razak hadn't let them down before. He would come and rescue them. Rico sighed heavily, suddenly feeling like a helpless child cornered by a mad dog. He looked around at the circle of Warriors again and frowned.

If Razak did come, would there be anything left to rescue?

*******

It took several hours of searching for Tasha to catch sight of Razak and the Marauders. Since the floor of the tunnel was made of stone, there had been no footprints for her to follow. Even the heavy Marauders didn't leave tracks. Her only advantage had been that the tunnels were completely clear; no Bugs, not even dead ones, had been in her way. She decided it was best to get closer to her squad before the Warriors on the surface came after her or more came out of hiding. She tried her radio again. Nothing. Again; still no reply. She started to run down the tunnel, hoping to catch them. She tripped over a loose rock and hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her. She cursed when she looked up. The Ruoghnecks were gone.

"Damn..."

She sat still for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She was completely exhausted and her body felt as if it were being ripped apart. She flexed her left hand; it felt strange, almost numb. She closed her eyes and growled.

'Fucking S.I.C.O.N. bastards,' she thought. She clicked on her homing beacon; she hadn't wanted to. She wasn't the one who needed rescuing. Perhaps she felt it would stall Razak and the others. She needed all the time she could get. She had to reach Rico and the others first...

A sharp pain erupted in her side; clutching her stomach, she began to cough up blood into her helmet. Andother sudden flash of violet-blue sent her into convulsions, writhing on the floor of the Bug tunnel.

Some wounds never heal...Some people...never die.

**Damn you! Why won't you die?!**

No reply.

**I know who you are! Answer me!!**

Several moments passed...

***You cannot have him...***

Tasha, still partially blinded, grinned. **That's what you think...old friend.**

*******

"Lt. Razak," said Gossard quietly, "another homing beacon just popped up on the screen."

"Where?"

"About forty meters behind us...It's Davis, sir. She's alive!"

Razak stopped, a hard look in his eyes. He looked behind him and sighed. "We can't go back now. She's on her own. She knew the risks when she enlisted! We keep moving!"

"Sir, I can be down there and back in ten minutes, tops. You and the Sarge can take the Marauders and...*"

"Negative on that, Corporal," said Razak. "Rico and the others are our top priority."

"Sir..." Gossard sighed and looked away. He hated having to abandon Tasha once again. She could be dying for all they knew. If he could get to her, maybe they cuold get her some help. He looked back at Razak. "Sir?"

Razak shook his head and sighed, "I'm going to regret this. Five minutes, Gossard. No more, no less."

"Yes, sir!" Gossard climbed out of his Marauder and jumped to the floor of the tunnel. Razak handed him his Morita and extra ammo clips.

"I want you both back alive, preferably intact. You get me soldier?"

"Sir! Yes, sir!" Gossard saluted and loaded both guns. With a nod back to his Lieutenant, he ran down the tunnel. Brutto shook his head and stared as Gossard vanished around a corner.

"Jeff's gone mental, sir..."

Razak nodded and sighed, "Let's get moving. Rico and the others are not far."

*******

Higgins was sitting away from the group, looking at his camera. The time that appeared on the screen was 5:30 AM, Sunday. He sighed and set up his camera on a flat rock nearby. He cleared his throat and pressed record.

"Day 33 of the Mars Campaign. It has been nearly six hours since my comrades and I had been captured. I can't believe we're still alive. The Warrior Bugs here -our jailers- keep a close eye on us. They're apparently saving us for the Brain--*"

"Shut up, Bobby!" Dizzy gave Higgins a nastly look and tossed a small rock in his general direction. "Just shut up! You make it sound as if we're already dead!"

Rico stood up and walked over to Dizzy; their captors hissed. "Dizz, give him a break. e's just doing his job." He gave Higgins a cold, hard stare and walked away. The young repoter took up his camera and set it down next to him.

Doc shook his head; out of all the captive troopers, he seemed to be the only one not going stir crazy. He had kept calm and in control the entire six hours since his capture. He wondered how long it would last. He watched as Dizzy sat away from the rest of them. She groaned and put her hand to her head. He raised an eyebrow. "Headache?"

"Yeah..."

He stood up and walked over to her. "Most likely from the fall. Head trauma or maybe even a concussion. I can give you some painkillers, but try not to fall alseep again. You might not wake up this time."

"Eh, who can sleep with giant Bugs watching your every move? It's too creepy." She spat at the Warriors as Doc administered the painkillers. The bugs screeched but did nothing.

Suddenly, a great rumbling was heard from that large entrance into the cavern. The floor of the cavern trembled. A giant black shadow loomed above them from the entrance.

It had come.

****

A/N: BUM BUM BUUUMMMM....dramatic reverb. Who is this unknown "old friend" who keeps trying to stop Tasha? Why does she want to get to Rico first? Why no Carl in this chapter?! Until next time! Live forever, Apes and Apettes!


	9. New Faces and Catastrophies

General Disclaimer: I do not own the Roughnecks...*bats eyelashes sweetly* But Carl can come over to my place anytime he wants to and "play"...*grins really big and Carl looks at her nervously*. Tasha Davis, the White Fang, and the Blackdragons, as well as their present and past LT, belong to me.

New Faces and Catastophies

Gossard had both guns at the ready as he retraced their steps to Tasha's position. His radio was on, in spite of the interference, and he kept calling out to Tasha in hopes a message would get through and she would stay put. Something about the tunnel caught his attention and worried him: The tunnel was completely empty and silent. Where were the dead Warriors? And why did the tunnel seem wider at some points? He ran on through the tunnel, nothing heard except his own footsteps. There was a slight tremble in the floor of the tunnel; Gossard froze in place. The rumbling stopped. 

"Freaky," he said as he walked on. "There shouldn't be any seismic activity in this area. Hmm..."

"Goss *frzt*!"

"Davis! About time! Where are you?"

"Help me!" The sounds of struggling and screeching Warriors echoed over the static-filled transmission. "*frzz* Too many! Require assistance!"

Gossard sped up and rounded a sharp corner. "Don't worry, Davis, I'm on my way!"

Suddenly, another female voice broke clearly through the message. "This is 3rd Lieutenant Sara Castle of the Blackdragons. We are locked onto your position and we're coming in for a landing. Be advised you are in a hot zone, Alpha Squad! We will rendevous with your squad at your location, Cpl.Gossard! Sit tight!"

Gossard slid to a stop. "What the hell?"

Shaking his head, he broke into a run; who was Sara Castle? How did she know he was there? He hadn't sent out a distress call. His locator beacon wasn't even on. After a few turns and curves, Gossard came to where Tasha had signaled from. Five Warriors were hovering over her. She was lying on the ground, still; she looked dead, even though there wasn't a single mark on her. The Warriors looked up and screeched when Gossard came into view. They charged him and he fired with both guns.

"Damn Bugs! I'm a mechanic, not an exterminator!"

"Maybe you're a bit of both, Corporal!" A young woman came running down the tunnel towards him, a small squad of troopers wearing black and red powersuits close behind her. "Aurthur, McCallister, Louis get that wounded Private out of harms way! Thomas, take point! Murphy, you're with me! Move move move!!"

A young man, about eighteen, shouted, "What about Sargeant Marshal? We can't just leave him back there!"

"He's dead, McCallister! You have your orders, now follow them!" She glared at the young Private. "Aurthur, your team will block this side of the tunnel as soon as Pvt.Davis is cleared!"

"Sir! Yes, sir!"

Gossard looked back at Tasha. She was alive and screaming. Her screams almost didn't sound human. He shook his head. No time for suspicions. Lt.Castle ran up to Gossard and he tossed her one of his guns. She shouted at Tasha. Tasha rolled over just in time to recieve the Morita as it was sliding to her across the floor of the tunnel. She rolled out from under a Warrior and shot it through its nerve cluster. Castle's squad had another group of Warriors pinned at the tunnel's entrance. Castle joined Gossard as he began to fire at three charging Warriors who were approaching from a tunnel to their right.

"That tunnel wasn't there before..." he said quietly.

"You're lucky we were in the area!" shouted Castle. "We intercepted your S.O.S. on our skimmer."

"Not that I wanna sound..." He fired at a Warrior that was coming up from behind them. "ungrateful or anything, Lieutenant, but we never sent out an S.O.S. from in the tunnels! We were outside when we last tried that and Davis reported heavy Plasma activity in the area had destroyed the rescue ship!"

Castle's face conveyed an expression of confusion. "We saw no sign of a destroyed transport. Only the remains of your drop-ship at the LZ." She threw a grenade into the new tunnel, sealing it. "And I'm certain we recieved an S.O.S. from Alpha Squad. You are Corporal Jeff Gossard of Razak's Roughnecks, aren't you?"

Gossard slapped in a fresh clip and fired on the last remaining Warriors. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to get back to Razak and help find our M.I.A. troopers!"

"Agreed," she said, tossing a grenade at the last Warrior. "Dragons, Roughnecks! Move out!"

Castle's squad, plus Tasha, hustled into a circle formation around the two superior officers. Gossard was grateful for the little break, but something was really starting to nag at him. The tunnel was once again cleared and quiet. He easily kept in pace with Lt.Castle, hoping to get some more information on her reasons for being there. He took a closer look at her; she was only eighteen or nineteen years old and already was a Lieutenant. Unless she had been promoted on the field, unofficially (which he doubted), such a young LT was rather uncommon. She talked like a seasoned vet, with a dash of Drill Sargeant in her blood. He tried to remain friendly as he spoke.

"So, Lieutenant," he said, "what's your story?"

Castle shot him a look; apparently, she disliked being addressed so familiarly by an officer of lower rank. The look passed and she sighed. "What do you mean, Cpl. Gossard?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted," she said, turning her head away so she couldn't see him.

"You're awful young to be an LT. What's your story? Field promotion? Original LT bought it and you were the best qualified for the job?"

She sighed. "My story is long and complicated, Cpl. Gossard. I suggest we delve into my past at a later date. Like after we get out of an infested hot zone."

"Yes, sir."

"However," she continued, sounding a bit more friendly, "I can tell you that I didn't give you my full rank and info before. I'm with Special Ops. Psychic training. We were sent to this area right after you vanished from the screens on the Valley Forge. We're from the White Fang, Omega Squadron. The Blackdragons." She smiled and chuckled. "Our reputation is second only to Razak's Roughnecks. Well, my first squad's reputation; most of us were wiped out on Klendathu. My squad was named after the original United States Army M.I. squad of the same title. Lieutenant Michael Jenkins' Blackdragons."

"Jenkins? Any relation to Carl Jenkins?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Michael Jenkins' squad was wiped out in WWIII, seventy years ago. Nuclear blast. No survivors."

She suddenly went quiet and her head hung low. So did her gun. Gossard raised an eyebrow and took another look at her. She was so young, and yet at the same time she seemed so old.

'Later,' he thought. 'I'll worry about it later.'

Tasha broke formation and walked up behind Castle. Neither she nor Gossard noticed her. Suddenly, Castle fell forward, grasping her head and screaming something about white fires in her head. Gossard looked around and saw Tasha. He pushed her to the ground and glared. Castle recovered quickly and whirled to face Tasha, her eyes wild.

"Private, may I have a word with you?" asked Castle. Tasha looked at her blankly. ***NOW.***

Tasha grit her teeth and glared. In any case, she walked over to Castle. Gossard took Tasha's place in formation while they talked. They trudged on, speeding up in some places. Gossard tried to listen in on their conversation, but they weren't speaking out loud; he could only see their facial expressions and body language. Neither of the young women were happy. Tasha nodded once, semingly reluctant to do so, and returned to her place in formation. Gossard once more took pace next to Castle.

"What was that all about?"

"Davis and I have had past relations," she said grimly. "I was her C.O. during first half of the Pluto Campaign. I also knew her from the Academy. We had enlisted together in Los Angeles, and I was immediately placed in the chain of command at Special Ops. HQ. Intel saw me as command material. Davis was sore about it. She had wanted the job. I became her Psychic traning CO at S.I.C.O.N. Special Ops base in Tokyo later on. That made life even more strained between us. It didn't help our working relationship afterward that there had been an...accident...on Pluto..."

"What sort of accident, Lieutenant?"

"I would rather not--*" A blood-curdling scream from behind them cut her off mid-sentence. Both Tasha and Castle fell to the ground, grasping their heads and screaming. Gossard looked behind him; three of Castle's troopers were gone. Blood marks on the floor and walls of the tunnel were all he could see. He looked at Castle's remaining troopers, Aurthur and Murphy; they were frozen to the spot, absolutely terrified. They were staring at the ground.

"Holy shit,' muttered Gossard as he picked up the helmet of Pvt.McCallister. Blood covered the inside of the helmet and dripped onto Gossard's feet. He threw it away. "Aurthur, Murphy, we have to get out of here NOW!" They remained still. "LT, Get your men in gear!"

Castle coughed, blood dripping from her lips, and raised herself up on her elbows. She groaned and shouted, "Dragons, you will obey the Roughneck's orders! He is your superior! Aurthur! Murphy! Move it!"

The two young men screamed and began to run toward their Lieutenant, continuing past her and down the tunnel. Castle yalled as loud as she could for them to wait, to assist their C.O. Horrifying screams echoed in the tunnel; Castle and Tasha screamed and cringed to the floor, tears streaming down their faces. Gossard understood. They could sense death. He was suddenly relieved he wasn't born psychic; he wouldn't have been able to deal with the pain. So many troopers have died in this war. He was suprised Castle wasn't insane. He knelt down next to Castle and shook her shoulder. She was mumbling something he couldn't understand and sobbing; Tasha, however, was lying still and staring at the back of Castle's head.

Tasha suddenly let out a shuddering sigh. "It's coming for us now..."

A/N: 


	10. Eternity

SARA: Eternity (All Because)

My life is filled with uncertainty  
as I face my endless eternity.  
Endless tears I have shed  
for my many loves long since dead.  
All because...

All because of a power in my mind  
I have destroyed that which is kind.

My life continues on, painfully  
as I face my enemies eternally.  
I chose my allies carefully,  
while I face enemies internally.  
All because...

All because of a power in my mind  
there is no peace I can find.

Eternity is calling me back.  
Another sleep to avoid attack.  
Eternity is eternally tormenting me  
with tastes of happines which cannot be.  
All because...

All because of a power in my mind  
I lose every love I find.


End file.
